La Jolla Music Society’s two top leaders — President and CEO Todd Schultz and Artistic Director Leah Rosenthal — were both honored recently with regional and national leadership awards.
San Diego’s Corporate Directors Forum honored Schultz as Non-Profit Director of the Year at its annual awards program Sept. 8. The honorees are chosen by their boardroom peers within the nonprofit Forum, which provides support, training and peer-networking opportunities for local corporation leaders.
Schultz Joined the La Jolla Music Society in January 2021, after serving for more than 30 years in the arts administration field, including leadership positions with McCallum Theatre, San Diego Symphony, the Old Globe, LA Opera, San Diego Opera and Atlanta Opera. The La Jolla Music Society will launch its winter season Oct. 8 at its home theater, The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla.
“Todd has led La Jolla Music Society for nearly two years through the problems of the pandemic with boundless energy, wisdom, common sense and superb theatrical and musical knowledge,” Steve Baum, chair of the LJMS board of directors, said in a statement. “His background in performing arts, theater and classical music has been invaluable to our business, board, and programming.”
Meanwhile, Western States Alliance honored Rosenthal on Aug. 29 with the 2022 Leadership Award at its annual conference in Calgary, Canada. The WAA is a membership association of touring and performing arts professionals who work in the Western United States and Canadian provinces. Rosenthal was promoted to artistic director in April 2020, after serving in several other artistic capacities for LJMS for the previous 12 years. She said she was honored to be recognized.
“This award is a testament to the strength of our organization‘s commitment to artistic excellence, the support I have received from the Board, and above all the extraordinary talent and commitment of the staff,” Rosenthal said in a statement.
Schultz praised Rosenthal’s dedication and deep industry knowledge.
“No one is more deserving of this award than Leah,” Schultz said in a statement. “Largely working behind the scenes, Leah has dedicated her career to artists and audiences, working tirelessly to create inspiring seasons that feature some of the greatest artists in the world, as well as up-and-coming artists on the brink of stardom. Leah has a tremendous level of taste, has high expectations, curates each season beautifully and draws upon an extensive international network of friends and colleagues in the arts.”